A Michigan July Part 2- Back Yard adventures

Now that I've been working from home for 4 1/2 months, I've made a very important discovery.  The girls love to sleep!  Since I'm home all day, they have lots of opportunity to spend sleeping both indoors and outdoors.  And they are taking full advantage of the ability to spend more time outside, especially Peaches.  

Although Maddie and Piper stay inside with me for most of the work day, Peaches will spend hours every day out in the yard both exploring and sleeping.  No matter how hot it is, she loves to find a good spot in the sun for a nice long nap.  She's also enjoying being close to the garden to watch the birds and bees that are frequent visitors.  It gives her hours of entertainment.

Some days I will take my laptop outside to work for a bit or spend my lunch out on the patio and  Maddie and Piper are happy to join me as well.  They happily move from the sun to the shade, but are never far from me. Sometimes Peaches will even join them in the shade.

What's been especially nice is watching Piper learn how to relax. She never would have laid down outside when she first came to me.  She was much too anxious and always on the move.  But now, she'll relax pretty quickly if I ask her to go lay down, even if she'd rather be playing.  

It's also been nice being able to give Maddie more time outside when the weather is nice and she can enjoy it.  While she spends most of her time lounging around the yard or on the patio, she also gets to spend some time quietly wandering around the yard at her own speed and that makes me happy to see.  She is also very happy that she has a friend that is willing to share her blanket when she is ready to relax.  

And don't let these pictures fool you, they don't spend all of their time sleeping.  There are lots of times that they spend exploring the yard.  Peaches is also on high-alert as the head of our neighborhood watch.  No garbage truck, UPS truck, or mailman can go by without her sounding her neighborhood alarm.  We also don't need to worry about the kids from the daycare down the road sneaking up on us as they take their daily walk in front of our house.  It's adorable to watch them point and wave and yell hello to her while she whines and barks at them. 

We've also been spending a lot more time out in the yard every night.  When it's not too humid and the bugs aren't bad, I really enjoy spending time outside working in the yard, reading a book, or just relaxing and enjoying a beautiful Summer night.

I've also really enjoyed our new nightly routine of playing fetch.  When Piper came here 3 1/2 months ago, one of the main reasons I decided to foster her was to give Peaches someone to play with while we were stuck at home all the time.  I thought that they would play and chase each other and keep each other busy while I worked.  While Piper didn't know how to play when she first came here, she really tries to get Peaches to play with her now, with little luck.  So instead of keeping Peaches busy, she keeps me busy instead.  And it has been so much fun.  Each night we spend at least 30 minutes out in the yard playing fetch and tug and working on some new skills, and some nights Peaches will join in the fun too.  It brings back some really great memories of the fun I used to have with a young Imke and Jake.  We've even gotten Maddie out in the yard for some of our fun, although she doesn't do much more than watch, it seems to make her happy too.  It has become my favorite time of the day.

And some nights we are blessed with a beautiful sunset and hundreds of lightening bugs to remind us just how special our Michigan Summer nights are...and how lucky we are to be able to enjoy them together.

A Michigan July Part 1- Our UP vacation

Happy Sunday afternoon, friends.  It is a hot and humid late-July Michigan day today and we are currently enjoying some peace and quiet in the air-conditioned comfort of the house.  We have had a busy couple of weeks to catch up on here and it is the perfect time to sit down and write, so here I am.

As those of you are reading this are aware, we are still dealing with the Corona virus and all that living through a global pandemic entails.  It is a strange time in all of our lives, with masks required to go into stores, no spectators at sporting events as the Major League Baseball season finally began again, and people staying close to home.  With all that is going on in the world, I have limited my trips to the store or anywhere far from home, but earlier this month, I decided it was time that we take a trip North for a short vacation.  For my own mental health, a trip to the UP seemed to be just what I needed...and I think the girls needed it too.

So, joined by our friend Vanessa, we packed up the Jeep and headed north for a long weekend of Copper Harbor magic.

Piper settled into hotel life pretty quickly, even before having any real UP adventures.  I was happy to see she was able to relax in a strange place with new noises.  I was also happy to enjoy a beautiful Brockway Mountain sunset on our first night there.  

Our first full day in the Keweenaw was the 4th of July.  While most normal Independence day celebrations were cancelled, we were happy to see that the locals were still holding their annual tradition of a parade in Eagle Harbor.   While it was not advertised, we were part of the lucky few who were in the know and able to enjoy it.

After the parade, we spent time exploring and I was excited to finally get to visit the George Gipp grave site.  I've often planned to stop, only to have those plans change, but I was determined to get there this time.  

But the best part of the day was spending it at Great Sand Bay with friends.  We had beach time and shared a pizza and the girls loved every minute of it.  So did I.  I mean, you can't beat dinner with a view like this and some close friends!

We ended the day with a sparkler show on the 6th street dock in Copper Harbor.  A beautiful end to a great day in the Keweenaw.

Our second day in the Harbor was spent exploring the rocky shorelines that surround the area.  First was a trip to Horseshoe Harbor to see some stromatolites and do some rock hunting. 

Then after lunch, we headed out to Hunter's Point Park for a hike to the point.  It was a slow and steady walk with Maddie, but for the first time in two years, we finally made it out there again.  

We slowly meandered back toward the parking lot with a nice stop along the way for a little wading, rock climbing, and rock hunting...and for one of us, an accidental dip in Superior while fully clothed.  It was definitely refreshing!

While the weather was warmer and more humid than we had expected it to be, it was so nice to be somewhere that makes us as happy as Copper Harbor does.  Due to the pandemic, it was the quietest 4th of July weekend I've experienced up there and I enjoyed the peace and solitude that is what I love most about this place.  It was also nice to be able to visit all of our favorite spots and introduce Peaches to some places she hadn't been yet.  This was the longest Peaches has spent there and she definitely loved it.  

Trips to Jamsen's for a turnover, driving along Brockway Mountain Drive, sitting on the beach at Esrey Park, and time walking on Great Sand Bay with my girls and our good friend Bryce, all the things that make my heart and soul happy, and I truly believe those places do the same thing for Maddie.  That area is a part of us, it is the core of who we are, and I don't know how well I would have been able to continue on in our new daily normal without completely losing my mind if I hadn't made this trip.  

I think that the girls were pretty happy to be there too!  Maddie savored every minute of her time there while Peaches made the most of her time on chipmunk watch.

The girls and I always enjoy having Vanessa along on our adventures and sharing with her all of the places we love around the UP.   And of course we're also always happy to spend time with Bryce too.  I think Maddie was especially happy to spend some special one on one time giving some extra love to her Uncle Bryce.

Who knows when we'll be able to get back there, maybe later this Summer or early Fall, but there are a lot of unknowns.  So for now we're just happy that we made the time to go when we did.  There is nothing better than some fresh Lake Superior air with Keweenaw views and good friends.